Spined Soldier Bug Scientific name: Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Introduction The spined soldier bug Podisus maculiventris (Say) is a beneficial insect. This stink bug is a predator of many arthropod species including garden, crop and forest pests. Adults are pale brown in color and get their name from the spines on their shoulders (Figures 1 and 5). Distribution This is a common stink bug throughout the United States with distribution ranging from Mexico to Canada. Spined soldier bugs can be located in a variety of habitats including woodlands, near streams and agricultural systems (De Clerq, 2008). Figure 1. Adult spined soldier bug Podisus Life cycle maculiventris (Say). Note the pale brown Egg: Eggs are 1 mm or 0.04 inches in diameter with long, color and spiny shoulders. Photograph by characteristic projections around the operculum (egg cover). Spined Cecil Montemayor. soldier bug eggs vary from a light cream to black color (Figure 2) and often remain in this stage for five to eight days. Nymph: There are five nymphal instars in this species. Nymphs, through all instars, are oval shaped, lacking the characteristic shield and shoulder spines possessed by adults. Spined soldier bug nymphs are black in the 1st instar but subsequent instars have red, orange, or cream markings (Figures 3 and 4). Nymphs can range from 1.3 to 9 mm or 0.05 to 0.35 inches depending on the instar (De Clercq, 2008). Nymphs do not have fully developed wings, and therefore do not have high dispersal capabilities. Adult: Podisus maculiventris (Say) takes four to five weeks to go Figure 2. Podisus maculiventris (Say) eggs. from egg to adult. Adults are pale brown and 10-14 mm long or 0.4 to Note the projections around the top that are 0.55 inches (De Clerq, 2008). The shoulders have an outward projecting characteristic of this species. Photograph spined tip and a dark spot on the membranous tip of the wing. In the by Cecil Montemayor. northern and central United States, there are two to three generations per year; however, the warmer Louisiana climate allows for the possibility of additional generations. Adults can live up to four months (De Clercq, 2008). Target Pests Nymphs of the spined soldier bug are gregarious feeders. Spined soldier bug prey on a wide variety of prey including 90 insect species across eight orders and possess the capability of controlling more than Figure 3. Spined soldier bug 3rd instar 75 of these species in different agroecosystems (De Clerg, 2008 and Baek, feeding on a larvae. Photograph by Cecil 2013). These insects primarily feed on soft bodied larvae of Coleoptera Montemayor. Visit our Web site: www.lsuagcenter.com and Lepidoptera (Mukerji, 1965). Adults and nymphs are cannibalistic. Research in Louisiana indicates the spined soldier bug will prey on pest stink bug species, including the southern green stinkbug, Nezara viridula (Ragsdale, 1981). It also preys on many other economically important pest species in Louisiana including: Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, cotton leafworm, Alabama argillacea, bollworm, Helicoverpa zea, tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens, fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis, European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, and beet armyworm,Spodoptera exigua, forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (De Clerq, 2008; Hoffman, 1993 and Smith, 1986). Use in Biological Control Spined soldier bugs are available for purchase as biological control Figure 4: 4th and 5th instars feeding on agents. Multiple companies sell egg masses which can be released into prey. Photograph by Cecil Montemayor. gardens or greenhouses. In the absence of prey, they may feed on plant fluids but this is often not damaging to the plant. It is important to practice integrated pest management (IPM) which highlights the use of selective insecticides in agriculture systems, and to only utilize them if necessary. Use of the most selective insecticide should allow the continued presence of this beneficial insect (Boyd, 1998). Selected References Baek, S., Son, Y., & Park, Y. L. (2014). Temperature-dependent development and survival of Podisus maculiventris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae): implications for mass rearing and biological control. Journal of pest science, 87(2), 331-340. Boyd, M. L., & Boethel, D. J. (1998). Susceptibility of predaceous hemipteran species to selected insecticides on soybean in Louisiana. Journal of Economic Entomology, 91(2), 401-409. Figure 5. Adult spined soldier bug De Clercq P. 2008. Spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris Say (Hemiptera: feeding on a larva. Photograph by Cecil Pentatomidae: Asopinae). pp. 3508-3510. In Capinera JL. (editor.) Montemayor. Encyclopedia of Entomology, Vol 4. Springer, Heidelberg. Hoffmann MP, Frodsham AC. 1993. Natural Enemies of Vegetable Insect Pests. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. 63 pp. Mukerji MK, LeRoux EJ. 1965. Laboratory rearing of a Quebec strain of the pentatomid predator, Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Phytoprotection 46: 40-60. Ragsdale, D. W., Larson, A. D., & Newsom, L. D. (1981). Quantitative assessment of the predators of Nezara viridula eggs and nymphs within a soybean agroecosystem using an ELISA. Environmental Entomology, 10(3), 402-405. Smith, J. D., & Goyer, R. A. (1986). Population fluctuations and causes of mortality for the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), on three different sites in southern Louisiana. Environmental entomology, 15(6), 1184-1188. William B. Richardson, LSU Vice President for Agriculture Visit our Web site: Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station www.lsuagcenter.com Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service LSU College of Agriculture Authors: Emily Kraus and Rodrigo Diaz, Pub. 3481 (online only) 12/15 Department of Entomology, LSU AgCenter. The LSU AgCenter and LSU provide equal opportunities in programs and employment..